WASHINGTON
–
The number of Islamic places of worship in the United States soared 74% in the past decade.[*]2002 photo by Joe Kohen, AP

Imam
Omar Abu Namous, right, leads a prayer service at the Islamic Center of
New York. A new study finds New York has more mosques than any other
state in the U.S.[/*][/list]2002 photo by Joe Kohen, AP

Imam
Omar Abu Namous, right, leads a prayer service at the Islamic Center of
New York. A new study finds New York has more mosques than any other
state in the U.S.
Sponsored LinksWhile protests against new mosques in New York, Tennessee and California made headlines, the overall number of mosques quietly rose from 1,209 in 2000 to 2,106 in 2010.

And most of their leaders say American society is not hostile to Islam, according to a comprehensive census of U.S. mosques and survey of imams, mosque presidents and board members released Wednesday.

"This
is a very healthy community," said lead researcher and study author
Ihsan Bagby, an associate professor of Islamic studies at the University of Kentucky.They're
also very engaged: The study finds "98% of mosque leaders say Muslims
should be involved in American institutions and 91% agree that Muslims
should be involved in politics."The study —
The American Mosque 2011 — was sponsored by the Hartford Institute for
Religion Research (Hartford Seminary), the Association of Statisticians
of American Religious Bodies, as well as the nation's largest Islamic
civic and religious groups, including the Islamic Society of North America and the Council on American-Islamic Relations.Muslims
feared being "marginalized, demonized and isolated" after 9/11, said
Safaa Zarzour, secretary general of the Islamic Society. But the new
study shows they have "kept their eyes on the prize — becoming part of
mainstream America."Major findings include:

•States with the most mosques are New York (257), California (246) and Texas (166).

•Most mosques are in cities, but 28% were in suburban sites in 2010, up from 16% in 2000.

•Mosques
are ethnically diverse. The major participants are South Asians, Arabs
and African Americans, with growing numbers of new immigrants including
Somalis, West Africans and Iraqis. The study did not include Nation of Islam mosques because it is a separate religion.•Most
mosque leaders (87%) say "radicalism and extremism" are not increasing
among Muslim youth, "in their own experience." They say the greater
challenge is "attracting and keeping them close to the mosque."All
religious groups should be worried about losing their youth, said David
Roozen, who directs the Hartford Institute, which overseas an
every-decade look at the growth and health of U.S. religious
congregations, Faith Communities Today.Islam
will continue to grow, he said, and the old summation of American
religion -- Protestant, Catholic, Jew — may soon be revised. But it
won't be Protestant, Catholic Muslim, Roozen said."The fastest growing group of all is those with no religion," Roozen said.

Although the study does not claim to say how many Muslims are in the USA,
Bagby estimates there are 2.6 million "mosque participants" — people
who have attended prayers for Eid (a major holy day) or Friday prayers
or were considered participants by the mosque leader survey.Bagby
says he reached the number by taking mosque attendance reported by the
leadership and multiplying the average number of attendees by the number
of mosques.Bagby's report concludes, "If
there are 2.6 million Muslims who pray the Eid prayer, then the total
Muslim population should be closer to estimates (by Bagby) of up to 7
million."No other survey projects even 3 million Muslims in the USA.

For
example, a 2010 survey on global Muslim population by the Pew Forum on
Religion & Public Life found there were 2.6 million Muslims,
including adults and children, in the country. And a 2011 survey by the
same research group found 2.75 million Muslims, including 1.8 million
adults.Bagby disputes other studies, saying
they underestimate because they are based on random phone interviews and
many Muslims, particularly immigrants, will not discuss their religion
with a stranger on the phone.However, the Pew research, which included phone interviews in four languages, also synthesized data from the Census Bureau
and immigration authorities. Pew used country-of-birth information with
data from surveys on the percentage of people from each country, or
group of countries, who belong to various faiths.